Claire Greenlaw Hurd was born in Bangor, Maine, on Aug. 17, 1927. She lived in Franklin, MA and Maine for most of her youth. She believed strongly in education and was dedicated to graduating from high school. She worked part time at Wilson’s Drug Store in Bath, ME and attended classes at Morse High School. She graduated from Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, ME and the University of Maine.

Claire loved children and teaching young people was her calling and her passion. She found great joy in opening the world of books to people of all ages. She always viewed the potential of each student as unique and limitless. She demonstrated an unwavering commitment to helping children grow and learn. She enjoyed giving the gift of books to the children of friends and family. When she retired to Williamsburg, VA she spent many hours volunteering at the Williamsburg Regional Library.

She and her lifelong partner Paul met at the Bath Lumber Company and married in Maine. With their son Chip, they moved to various cities through Paul’s job as a manufacturing rep. They spent many years in the Virginia Beach area and helped start a church in the Thalia community. They later returned to Maine where they enrolled their son as the first student of the Hyde School in Bath. Claire completed her own education in Maine where she became a teacher and continued to be a lifelong learner. She taught for many years at the Wiscasset Primary

School as a reading specialist and Reading Recovery Teacher Leader. She was a respected active member and officer of the New England Reading Association. Claire became one of the primary driving forces in bringing Reading Recovery instruction to Maine children as she trained many Mid- Coast educators to become Reading Recovery teachers. As a direct result of her efforts, the College of Education at the University of Maine in Orono became a training site for Reading Recovery Teacher Leaders.

She was an incredible wife, mother and grandmother. There were no guests more important than her family. Claire’s greatest joy was hosting dinners in her Williamsburg home. To many she was known as “Mimi,” an affectionate term coined by her grandchildren who were the light of her life. The family jokingly referred to her as a tour director as she would plan adventurous summer activities for the kids including Shakespeare camp at the College of William and Mary, archaeological digs in Colonial Williamsburg, and enduring the log flume ride at Busch Gardens. Mimi was known for her kindness and many will remember her as a true lady.

She is predeceased by her husband Paul Hurd, their son Paul Hurd II, her sister and brother Diana and John Greenlaw. She is survived by her daughter-in-law Laurie Gauld Hurd and her three grandchildren, Zach, Georgia and Meddy. A celebration of life will be held in Maine with a date to be determined.